xii+202pp. Illus. in text. Between 1841 and 1865 some forty thousand children participated in the great overland journeys from the banks of the Missouri River to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. A fine study of 120 of these young emigrants, ranging in age from four to seventeen. Using such sources as diaries, letters, journals and reminiscences, the author tells a timeless tale of human resilience, both humorous and heartrending. Some suffered terrible hardships and tragedies and among the children featured are survivors of the Donner party in 1846-7; Gold Rush orphans of 1849; youngsters who crossed Death Valley and southwestern deserts in the 1850s. Some amazing eye-witness accounts. Bibliography and Index.

American Pioneers History Emigration Overland journeys